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Tim Brando: Fox Has Been ‘So Good To Me’

“FOX actually asked me ‘Hey Tim, is there anybody you’d like to have with you’. I said yes, Spencer’s contract is up over at CBS and they went out and hired him.”

Ricky Keeler

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Legendary play-by-play broadcaster Tim Brando has had one of the rare distinctions of working at ESPN, CBS, and FOX. He also has had the chance to work with the same partner at two different networks, which is not something that is very common.

Brando was a guest on the Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcast on Wednesday. During the segment, Brando talked about how when Joel Klatt moved up to the lead broadcast booth on FOX’s college football coverage in 2015, the network asked Brando who he wanted with him in the booth. His answer was to go bring in someone else he was very familiar with at CBS before FOX hired him in 2014, Spencer Tillman.

“When Joel moved up to work with Gus, FOX actually asked me ‘Hey Tim, is there anybody you’d like to have with you’. I said yes, Spencer’s contract is up over at CBS and they went out and hired him.”

Brando worked with Tillman calling college football games on CBS and in studio shows as well. This year, the two of them will begin their 24th year working together in some capacity over the last 25 years, which is quite the accomplishment.

When FOX called Brando to join their team in 2014 after CBS let him go, he was excited for another opportunity and he saw the vision and the growing college football coverage that the network was planning.

“In so many ways, FOX has been so good for me. When I left CBS abruptly back in 2014, I think a lot of people including me thought Oh gosh, I think I’ve earned enough checkmarks that I should land with a good parachute at a good place.

“I was a free agent for about 8-9 months. When FOX called, I was so excited. Their portfolio was growing, but it wasn’t nearly what it is today. They were visionary. I think they were thinking we are going to grow our college football portfolio. We need more people. We need to add some greater depth. Maybe some people that have a little more understanding of the history of the game. It’s not always popular for a young television executive to hire a 58-year-old guy that has worked at 3 different networks, but FOX did and I really owe them a lot.”

Brando definitely brings that to any college football game that he calls and he will begin his 9th season at FOX this year in addition to the college basketball game he broadcasts as well. 

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Bleacher Report Sports Gambling Analyst Troy Hermo Has Died

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Bleacher Report logo and a picture of Troy Hermo
Photo: Troy Hermo Facebook Account

Bleacher Report sports gambling analyst Troy Hermo lost his battle with cancer and died on Sunday, March 17.

From Tory Hermo’s X account, “This is Troy’s brother Alex. Troy sadly passed away while surrounded by family last night. On behalf of Troy, his wife Brennah, and the Hermo family I’d like to thank everyone for supporting, donating, and cheering on Troy through his battle with cancer. He loved all of you.”

In 2018, Troy Hermo was diagnosed with stage 4 Adrenal Cancer. As a result, he set up a GoFundMe to help offset expenses for a clinical trial and shared his story:

“When I was 24 years old, I was managing one of the fastest growing companies, dating in a new relationship, purchased a brand new car, and had everything ahead of me. When my first symptoms started to occur, the doctors assured me that it was just anxiety or my casual drinking on the weekends.

“They said I was young and needed to make better food choices.

“What felt like overnight, I gained 20 pounds in my stomach, broke out in severe rashes, and would shake unctrollably, so I demanded a CT scan.

“Two days later, I got the news. I was diagnosed with stage 4 Adrenal Cancer with an 8 1/2 pound tumor on my adrenal gland (the size of a Christmas ham), thus it needed to be removed immediately. After a 12-hour surgery, the incredible team at OHSU had succesfully removed the tumor, along with my adrenal gland, spleen, and kidney.”

Troy Hermo was featured on a ‘Community Spotlight’ interview on Bleacher Report, which can be seen by clicking here.

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New ESPN+ Series ‘Full Court Press’ Features WCBB Stars Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Kiki Rice

“I am thrilled that we are able to make this show at this moment in the sport’s history. Documenting Caitlin Clark’s historic season has been a privilege.

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Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN will finally have Caitlin Clark on their airwaves courtesy of a new documentary series directed by Kristen Lappas and produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. Full Court Press stars Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and Kiki Rice, as they navigate the perils of their respective seasons and march towards the Women’s College Basketball Tournament.

The show has followed these three players throughout this record-breaking women’s college basketball season, capturing key moments such as Kamilla Cardoso’s game-winning three-pointer to send South Carolina to the SEC Championship, Kiki Rice’s experiences as the first college athlete to have an NIL deal with the vaunted Jordan brand, and filming the lead up to Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in the history of NCAA collegiate basketball, in her final year at Iowa. Audiences will travel from Paris to Brazil, from sold-out arenas in Baton Rouge to Iowa City for the biggest matchups, all to give fans a window into this unique moment in the sport’s history.

“I remember what it meant to the University of Tennessee and the entire state when Pat Summitt led the Lady Vols to back-to-back national titles during my time in Knoxville,” said Peyton Manning, founder of Omaha Productions. “We’re excited to share the stories of these three amazing women to a national audience at this incredible moment for women’s basketball.”

Women’s college basketball has become a ratings juggernaut for ESPN, CBS, NBC, and FOX thanks in part to Clark’s massive influence on the game. Clark set viewership records throughout the year, capping her historic final year off with the most-viewed women’s college basketball conference championship game ever.

“As someone who has grown up a devout fan of the women’s game, I am thrilled that we are able to make this show at this pivotal moment in the history of the sport,” Lappas said. “To be able to pull back the curtain and document Caitlin Clark’s historic season has been a privilege for our entire team. Each of our three players brings a unique set of storylines to the table, and we hope we’re able to capture both the excitement and the complexities surrounding what it means to be an elite female basketball player in 2024.”  

Episodes 1 and 2 of Full Court Press will air on Saturday, May 11th at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, and Episodes 3 and 4 will air on Sunday, May 12th at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Following their linear premieres, all episodes will be immediately available to stream on ESPN+.

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JJ Redick Announces New Podcast with LeBron James – ‘Mind the Game’

“The two sit down weekly to discuss the state of the game, dissect X’s and O’s, and wax poetic about the game they love.”

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Photos of LeBron James and JJ Redick along with the logo for their new podcast

ESPN basketball analyst JJ Redick announced via X today, a new podcast with LeBron James called ‘Mind the Game,’ which is set to debut on Tuesday March 19. The show is being produced by James’ company Uninterrupted as well as Redick’s ThreeFourTwo Productions.

Redick told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, “It’s meant to be a very free-flowing conversation about the sport and about the game. If you look at it in a very simplistic way, it’s just about basketball.”

A preview was posted to the show’s YouTube page and shows James and Redick in a comfortable setting, drinking wine and having a deep discussion about specific basketball plays. At one point, you can see Redick diagramming a play on a piece of paper.

A written description of the show states:

“Welcome to our brand show presented by Uninterrupted and ThreeFourTwo Productions. ‘Mind The Game‘ is an entry into the heralded basketball minds of LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and JJ Redick of ESPN and The Old Man and the Three. The two sit down weekly to discuss the state of the game, dissect X’s and O’s, and wax poetic about the game they love. Kick back with them as they uncork, unwind and invite you into a hoop conversation unlike any you’ve heard before.”

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